Kapnismologist
Number of posts: 808
Registration date: 2008-11-09
Subject: Proposed Template for Narrative Reviews of Pipe Tobaccos Fri May 29, 2009 2:05 am
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Gentlemen,
For various reasons, as of late I have found myself preparing numerous narrative reviews of various and sundry pipe tobaccos. This has got me thinking about issues concerning the form and structure of reviews which are actually helpful to others trying to decide on weather or not to drop the coin to try a particular blend. As you all well know, many reviews on TR are useless in this regard and it is only on discussion boards like this where one can get 'the real poop'.
After wading through many a review on TR and elsewhere (including here - helpful reviews all!), I decided to draft up a potential template for such reviews in the hope that it will not only help to structure my own approach to writing them but also perhaps be useful to others as well. My overall idea was to formalize a structure which I have been using for a time now (which is based ultimately on the reviews of folks much more knowledgeable than myself in such matters which I have benefited from previously) in the hopes that it will produce some good.
As such, I wanted to post the draft here for any comments, suggestions, revisions, emendations, etc. any of you might have should you feel so inclined. I am thinking an 'example' mock review to append to this template might be helpful as well? In any event, should you be interested ...
Proposed Template for Narrative Reviews of Pipe Tobaccos
Appearance: Describe how the tobacco looks. How is it cut (i.e., ribbon, shag, flake, broken flake, ready rubbed, spun, crumble cake, sliced, etc.)? What is the primary color of the tobacco? What are its secondary colors?
Tin Nose: Describe how the tobacco smells before it is prepared for smoking.
Presentation: Describe how the tobacco feels. Is it moist or is it dry? Is it springy, rubbery, thick, crumbly, stringy, etc. How does it pack? Does it require special preparation such as rubbing, cutting, cubing, folding, breaking, or crumbling? What type of preparation or packing method(s) did you find to be best suited to preparing the tobacco?
Flammability: Once prepared, how easily does the tobacco take to the flame? Does it require multiple initial lights beyond a false (charring) light and a true light? Does it typically require relights while smoking, or is an ember easy established and maintained?
Smoking Characteristics – Initial: As with fine wines, spirits, cigars, coffees, teas and other such carefully processed agricultural products, it is often helpful to approach a review of fine pipe tobacco with an attitude that the blend or mixture under review is like a particular dish which has been prepared with specific ingredients according to a specific recipe which has been created to produce particular aromas, flavors, textures, and taste sensations which should please the one who consumes it. Keeping this in mind, first reflect upon how the tobacco initially presents itself in the bowl? Would you describe it as stout, bright, rich, mild, strong, etc.?
Smoking Characteristics – Palate: As the bowl is smoked, what flavors and aromas do you notice in both the primary smoke stream and the side stream? Describing these flavors and aromas can seem difficult at first, but begin by thinking of the basic taste categories we all share by virtue of our physiology: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory. Do any of these apply to the tobacco you are smoking? Second, think about exactly what type(s) of ‘sweet’, ‘salty’, ‘sour’, ‘bitter’, or ‘savory’ you detect in the tobacco and make comparisons to tastes and aromas you are familiar with (e.g., wood smoke, sawdust, mushrooms, leather, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, citrus, tea, etc., etc. – the list is endless and every reviewer will develop his own comparative lexicon). Is the sweetness fruit-like? If so, what kind of fruit? Is the bitterness earthy like, say, dark roasted coffee or nutty like, say, raw almonds?
Smoking Characteristics – Analysis: Do certain flavors persist over others, or do they come and go or change as the bowl progresses? What are the low flavors and what are the high flavors? Comment upon the characteristics of the each individual ingredient present in the tobacco you are reviewing (i.e., Virginias, Orientals, Perique, Burley, Latakia, etc.). Does any particular ingredient stand out? If so, in what way(s)? Do you think the various ingredients go well together? If so, how and why? Are the ingredients of the blend or mixture balanced, complementary, clashing, or muddled? In what way(s) exactly? It is very helpful here to think about what might happen if one or more of the ingredients were removed from the blend. How do you think it would taste then?
Smoking Characteristics – Finish: Does the tobacco bite? Is it a ‘sipper’ or a ‘puffer’? Is the nicotine content or room note worth noting? How would you describe its body? Is it mild, medium, or full bodied? How would you describe its finish (i.e., aftertaste)? Is it short, long, dry, rich, spicy, bitter, etc.? What type of dottle or ash does it leave behind?
Evaluation: Overall, how would you rate this tobacco? How does it compare to others of the same genre? Would you recommend it to others? Why or why not? Is it a potential ‘everyday blend’ or not? Do you think it would be a good candidate for long term cellaring (aging)? Why or why not? Also, here is the place to provide any relevant information on the sample upon which the review is based (i.e., “this was a five-year-old tin”, “this was the bulk version”, etc.) as well as any witty commentary one might want to include about packaging, presentation, marketing, and such like if so inclined.
